10 Tips To Make Metro Awakening Enjoyable

Hey VR gamers and Metro lovers. Here's a few ways you can increase your success and enjoyment of Metro Awakening aka Metro VR aka finally another quality Virtual Reality shooter that isn't another sandbox or procedurally generated roguelike.

Tip #1: Get A Nice AK

There are plenty of Kalashes to pick from in Metro Awakening.

Alright tip number one is probably the most vital in the entire game and that's to make sure to pick which AK you use wisely. Take the most tricked out version you can find.

There'll be plenty to pick from once you start fighting human enemies. Just put your current Kalash in your left hand, pick up the new one you want in your right hand and store it over your right shoulder.

Easy as pie. I personally recommend the stockless version for extra aiming mobility in the cramped metro tunnels. Yes, they're functionally all identical, but when you're playing the only Metro game with no weapon or equipment customization you've got to get that bit of serotonin somewhere.

Tip #2: Be Sneaky

Warm up your punching arm for Metro VR stealth sections.

So tip number 2 is probably going to be a little controversial but make sure you take advantage of stealth and knock enemies out when you can by just punching them on the back of the head or thwacking them with a weapon.

I could say this is to save ammo, but it's really because the ragdoll deaths of the human enemies are kind of hilarious. Especially after you just looney tunes style knocked them down with a single punch.

I guess this was just easier to make than then a knife that stabs people, but I guess Saints and Sinners already did that so why do it again.

Tip #3: Hoard Ammo

Don’t forget the mags in the rifles of your fallen enemies.

Tip number three is to make sure you take the mags out of your fallen enemies' weapons for the ammo. Resource management is like 70% of success in any Metro game and Metro Awakening is not an exception.

Though don't expect your enemies to have ammo that you can loot on their bodies like in literally any other Metro title. I guess having an amazing looting system where you're using your real hands to take supplies off of dead opponents would just be too immersive and amazing so the developers decided to just not do it.

Probably the same reason why they decided not to do weapon upgrades or throwing knives and the arsenal is like one fifth the size of that in any other Metro title.

Tip #4: Turn Your Brightness Up

Recharging the headlamp in Metro Awakening.

For number four the tip is to turn the brightness up. It's really dark, like super dark, in the tunnels of a metro in the post-apocalypse.

You do get a headlamp that gets recharged with a little recharging device a lot like the one Artyom has, which is insanely cool, but It'll still be generally easier to see if you turn the brightness up.

Tip #5: Stay Chill

The warning you see when starting Metro Awakening.

Don't worry though because in tip number five I'm addressing that this game still can be scary as all hell. You might have heard of or seen the arachnophobia warning when starting it up.

There are some jump scares that actually really land, and some sections that do a great job in classic Metro fashion of really building up the dread and anticipation. So basically don't have arachnophobia and make sure not to accidentally run into a wall or something and you'll be fine.

Tip #6: Be Patient In Chapter 1

Who knew an apocalyptic metro would have so many wheels to turn?

The sixth tip is actually the most important tip of all, but I saved it for later to reward you for watching this far into the video. Play the game in seated mode during the first chapter.

The Prologue starts out seeming really promising, but the pacing just gets absolutely murdered and Chapter One is all turning wheels and listening to people talk for way too long.

So take a seat and just kind of watch your way through. When you hit chapter 2 the game gets much more interesting very quickly.

Tip #7: The Gas Mask Is A Vibe

The gas mask is excellent in this Metro VR game.

Tip number seven is about just as essential. If you really want to make everything feel more immersive and apocalyptic then wear your gas mask even when you don't have to.

It really just multiplies the Metro vibes, and your filters don’t get used if you aren't in a radioactive zone so you can wear it for as long as you want to.

Tip #8: Center Yourself On Carts

Before turning this switch make sure you’ve got space to move around. You won’t be able to move in game for a while.

Oh and for Tip Number eight also make sure to stand in the middle of your playspace when you start one of the metro cart sections.

Since these sections are clearly the least functional pieces of the game you'll be rooted to that spot, so if you start the cart section while physically standing right in front of a wall you'll be annoyed when you hit your boundary just by placing your hand son the machine gun.

So make sure to center yourself before flipping that on switch and make sure you've got plenty of room for some stationary shooting. Otherwise you'll have to deal with it until the cart stops.

Tip #9: The Pistol Is Wack

The pistol looks and feels pretty good, but you just can’t carry enough ammo for it.

For tip number nine make sure to forget what I said about hoarding ammo when it comes to the pistol. For some reason the designers thought it would be funny to only let you hold 28 pistol rounds in reserve.

You'll find yourself often either having no ammo for the pistol after briefly remembering it exists and using it, or way more ammo than you can carry. It takes a whole mag to take down basically anything, and that's if you hit your shots, so the pistol is an easy weapon to forget after you get the Kalash.

I found myself using the AK almost all of the time anyway. The Helsing takes forever to reload if you miss and the Shambler doesn't show up until about six hours into the game, which is so late for such a cool weapon.

Tip #10: Don’t Compare Metro Awakening To Half Life: Alyx

Metro Awakening has its own unique charm among VR shooting games.

For the tenth and final tip I'd say make sure you don't compare this game to Half Life: Alyx. Half Life: Alyx still won't come to Quest no matter how many letters I send to Valve, and Metro Awakening is not about to unseat Alyx as the number one single player shooter adventure to ever come to Virtual Reality headsets.

If you think you're better at giving tips for Metro Awakening than me then prove it in the comments by outdoing my tips and tricks with your own.

This all being said Metro Awakening is about as good of a VR Metro game as we could have asked for given the state of the Virtual Reality games industry, and I've been absolutely binging it whenever possible.

Where the gameplay sometimes fails the immersion into the Metro world and the story of Khan kept me coming back.